Tuesday, March 20, 2012

It's that time of year again to celebrate women and their outstanding achievements in the history of humans on earth. March is Women's History Month and as you have read in my previous posts there are many reasons to celebrate the accomplishment of women. One of the is the 25th Annual Women's Works Exhibit that has been taking place in McHenry County, IL for, well, 25 years. The Workshop for Contemporary Artists, pictured above started Women's Works as a small local exhibit for local female artists to show their artwork to the public. There was an absence (and still is to this day) of opportunities for women to exhibit their art in galleries and museums across the world. The original members where instrumental in helping women artists find a place to show work that might not be part of the male dominated art scene, but was of the highest caliber. To this day Women's Works provides a venue for the best art in the world to exhibit in the beautiful and historic Old Courthouse Art Center in Woodstock, IL. I am honored to be a member of the founders of Women's Works and hope that the groundbreaking work by women in art will continue to find a place to show their art.

While working on the paintings of each veteran for Portraits of American Veterans Project there are many choices to be made. How will I depict the individual and tell their story utilizing the visual language. One of the most effective narrative elements for my process involves universally recognized symbols. In the case of the veterans' portraits the most powerful symbol is the American flag, the old stars and stripes.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

NATIONAL VETERANS ART MUSEUM CELEBRATES INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY WITH WOMEN VETERANS ART EXHIBITION

Overlooked / Looked Over features work based on artists' experience as women in the military

(un)clothed and in her right mind - Iris M. Feliciano

Chicago, Ill. (February 2012) – On Saturday, March 10, 2012, the National Veterans Art Museum (NVAM) will host the opening of Overlooked / Looked Over,
a new exhibit featuring work by eight women artists who are veterans of
the U.S. military. Admission to the NVAM will be free all day with
light refreshments offered from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. Artist and curator
talks will take place between 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.
The show's opening is timed to coincide with the centenary
anniversary of International Women's Day. Annually on March 8, thousands
of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and celebrate
achievements. All around the world, women are connected by activities
ranging from business conferences and networking events to local women's
craft markets and theatric performances. The exhibit also highlights
National Women's History Month.Overlooked / Looked Over responds to the growth in numbers
of women joining the military, which has soared over the past decade.
Iraq War veteran and curator Erica Slone notes that women currently
comprise 14.5% of active duty military and there are 1.8 million women
veterans; yet there has been little research to date on how contemporary
military culture and war affects women. "Through Overlooked/Looked Over," Slone says, "I intend to shine a light on the unique experiences of women during service, in war, and as veterans."

Self-Portrait - Emily Yates

According to Slone, the concept for Overlooked / Looked Over
is taken from a quote by the late American actress and sex symbol Mae
West, "I'd rather be looked over than overlooked." Slone states,
"Depending on one's own definition of feminism, Mae West could be either
the quintessential feminist or anti-feminist. Her statement, however,
presents a false dichotomy of attitudes about women, and the coexistence
of these polar attitudes toward women is exacerbated within our armed
forces."
Artists in the show include Victoria Robillard Bryers, a retired
veteran with thirty years service in the U.S. Coast Guard Reserves; Iris
M. Feliciano, a Marine Corps veteran; Maggie Martin, an Army veteran
and field organizer with Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW); Robynn
Murray, an Army veteran and subject of the documentary film Poster Girl;
Joyce Wagner, a Marine veteran and board chair of IVAW; Emily Yates, an
Army veteran; Regina Vasquez, a Marine Corps Veteran and founder and
executive director of the Fatigues Clothesline Project; and curator
Erica Slone, an Air Force veteran.
The opening reception on March 10 is proudly co-sponsored by the
Chicago Women's Caucus for Art and the Chicago Chapter of The Transition
Network.
The show will be open to the public from Wednesday, February 29, 2012
through Memorial Day 2012. For more information, visit the museum's
website at www.nvam.org.About the National Veterans Art Museum
Formerly the National Vietnam Veterans Art Museum, the National
Veterans Art Museum is dedicated to the collection, preservation, and
exhibition of art inspired by combat and created by veterans. No other
gallery in the world focuses on the subject of war from an artistic
perspective, making this collection truly unique. The National Veterans
Art Museum addresses both historical and contemporary issues related to
military service in order to give patrons of all backgrounds insight
into the effects of war and to provide veterans an artistic outlet to
work through their military and combat experiences.
The National Veterans Art Museum is located at 1801 S. Indiana
Avenue, Third Floor, and is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10:00
a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Tickets are $10.00 general admission and $7.00 seniors
and students. Admission is free for veterans and active military and
their dependents. For group admission reservations, call the Museum at
312/326-0270.
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About Me

Greetings and welcome. I want to share with you my lifelong passion for art, art education, art history and most of all painting. Visitors entering my studio will find paintings and mixed media works in various stages of progress. I am always thinking and writing about my work with a strong emphasis on connecting ideas and experiences of everyday life. My work is continuously nourished through interests and activly engaging in the world through exploring history, literature, music, worldwide travels, and the vastness of human creativity throughout time.
I hold a Bachelors of Art in Art Education from University of Florida and a Masters of Art in Art Education from University of Illinois and have continued my education throughout my life. As a professional artist and teacher, the best of both worlds come together in my art and my teaching.

"Portraits of American Veterans Project" 2011

The "Portraits of American Veterans Project" has exhibited regionally and nationally. This is the stunning Sage Gallery locate in the Lakeside Legacy Arts Park in Crystal Lake. The portraits require a large galllery and the Sage is perfect for showing each painting and each Veteran's story at their best. The "Portraits of American Veterans Project" has also exhibited at Northern Trust Bank in Chicago, GE Diversity Fine Art Gallery in Fairfield Conn. and other venues in the Chicago area.